Dominic Harrison has always had a love for homes and interior design. He dreamed of one day working in the furniture industry, but never thought that opportunity would come when he was straight out of university.  

After starting as a Design Assistant with King Living in 2020, within three years, he progressed to the role of Junior Designer and now Designer. Recently, he managed his first solo design project, with the launch of the Plateau Outdoor Sofa. 

Dominic shares his experience of working at King Living and how he has learned about collaboration, design and the strong connection people have to their furniture. 

Featuring the Plateau Outdoor Sofa, Dominic’s first King Living project as lead designer.

Beyond design

While he was completing his degree, Dominic was involved in a research lab that focused on future living. He studied how our lifestyles will evolve and how that will influence our homes and furniture over the next three decades. The research also looked at sustainability and circular product economies. 

“That ties into what we do here at King Living,” he explains. “We follow the products through their entire lifecycle, including design, manufacture, sales, customer service and end of life disposal. There’s not many furniture companies that design and manufacture their own products exclusively and that’s part of the reason why I was drawn to this role.” 

Dominic says that it’s exciting as a designer to have an influence over how products are manufactured. And King Living provides that opportunity through the vertical integration model. 

“We don’t just sit behind a computer to design the products and then hand them over to someone else to complete,” he adds. “We follow the entire process. We have a comprehensive view of our entire supply chain and possess the resources to engage at any stage of product development. But we also have a culture of learning and improvement that makes this possible.” 

Captured in the King Living design room.

Product guardians

Vertical integration empowers the designers, like Dominic, to be the guardians of the product. They have complete oversight over the design through to manufacturing and even into the retail environment. 

“Because our products are designed to last, we have to think 10, 20 or 30 years into the future,” explains Dominic. “This requires a completely different mindset to how you approach the initial design brief.” 

The designers utilise the King Living systems and technology to build on five decades of expertise in crafting furniture designed to last a lifetime. They consider the entire life cycle of the product in the design and if the product is fit for purpose at every stage of that cycle. 

“We leverage the work of previous generations of designers to ensure the furniture is serviceable for a lifetime,” he says. “At the same time, we’re also building the systems and technology for the future. Our recent outdoor range is an example of this, we employed new materials to enhance durability and serviceability, aligning these improvements with our personalisation offered across our extensive range of fabric and finish options.” 

Dominic is pictured on the Zaza Armchair. 

Customer first

“If a customer is in love with their product, that’s what makes me really happy,” says Dominic. “People’s relationships with their homes and furniture is something that can be very special and even quite sacred. It's humbling to assist people in customising their own heirloom-quality furniture, specifically designed to be passed down through generations.” 

Dominic takes a customer-centric approach to design and is grateful to work in a team that is so collaborative and supportive.  

“We all work in different departments with different backgrounds, but we’re all focused on achieving the same goal,” he says. “We work together and come at problems from different perspectives but because we’re all focused on the customer, it all comes together.” 

The reward is hearing stories of King Living customers who’ve had their sofas for 30 or 40 years coming back to have those sofas recovered. 

“From the design office, we can see sofas purchased 20, 30 years ago coming back into the King Care team,” he explains. “Then we see them leaving in a new fabric and they look amazing. It's truly exciting to witness these legacy products transform into something new and unique, gaining a fresh lease on life to endure another lifetime”. 

Excited by the challenge of King Living’s unique approach to furniture design? Explore the opportunities of a career with King Living.     

Discover more King Living career stories:  

• Mathew Milne: A global retail career with King Living    
• Zara Fong: A day in the life of a King Living junior designer    
• Adam Cremona: Career progression in retail and customer care at King Living   
• Jamin Daniels: Redefining the King Living customer experience  
• Leanne Evans: 12 years and counting in a rewarding career at King Living  
• Ili Ibrahim: Leading and learning at King Living